A 1956 Chevy Bel Air restoration worth the wait

finished worth the long wait.ppbr I the car in July of 1990 from a gentleman in Cooperstown, NY. He it from his brother-inlaws estate. His brother-in-law had no use for the car, as he wasnt a collector. When he saw my 1956 Black Chevy Convertible Belair in Chevy Classics magazine, he called me to appraise the vehicle. When I arrived, I saw the unrestored 1956 Chevy Belair with dual quads. He had no idea of the value of the car and was shocked when I told him what it was worth and ordered him the full fair market value of the car. I it that same day. When I it up the following month, my intentions were to completely disassemble and start immediate restorations to have it completed within a year. img class"size-medium wp-image-3245" src"mediawp-contentclassicchevyuploads201707Bel-Air-1-300x200.jpg" alt"" "300" height"200" A finished restoration worth the wait. I the body off the frame and it on a rotisserie. The seats and door went to Sam Pizzo of Carls Seat Covers to be reupholstered. The chrome and stainless were sent to Bob Orr at Qualkrom to be refinished and restored. After those were completed, my restoration was on hold. Hallmans Chevrolet, the dealership I worked at as a mechanic for 17 years, closed its doors in January 1991, and that same year, I opened my own business: Sam LoVetro Automotive. Twenty years later, in 2011, I decided to finally up the restoration again this time, hoping to complete it. I rebuilt the entire engine, transmission, frame and chassis. I started the work. The original were solid and rust free. I it, blocked it with base coat and several coats of clear coat but couldnt find time to wet-sand and buff the car for another six months. At last, when I completed the work and saw the original colors of Dust Plum and India Ivory, I the body back on the frame and stopped working on it. Over two decades later, I called on Sam Pizzo to install the convertible top. With the top on, I completed the assembly with the bumperimg class"size-medium wp-image-3243 alignright" src"mediawp-contentclassicchevyuploads201707Bel-Air-3-300x200.jpg" alt"" "300" height"200" s, fenders and trim. Throughout the I contacted my good friend of 40 years, Gary Pronesti of Pronesti Classics, for advice and to help me locate hard-to-find After completing the car days before its first show in Fort Wayne, IN, I took first in the 1956 Trailer Restored Categorywith a score of 995 It had been a long, tedious restoration that went from a one-year to taking almost 25 years to complete. But I can honestly say when I look at the finished it was worth it!